The present invention relates to a pointing device used for inputting a signal in X-Y directions in various electronic equipment such as a remote control unit, a game machine, and a cellular phone and more specifically to a pointing device of a sliding type in which an operating body is slid along a plate face of a mounting substrate.
A pointing device of a sliding type that is used as an input device of a signal in X-Y directions basically has a case fixed to a substrate, a sliding-type operating body that is mounted to the case for inputting the signal in the X-Y directions and is slid in all directions around itself and along a surface of the substrate, a pair of moving bodies moving linearly in an X direction and a Y direction in the case as the operating body is slid, and a pair of signal output means for detecting moving positions of the pair of moving bodies and outputting electric signals in the X-Y directions.
As the signal output means, there is known means based on a magnetic sensor in addition to a volume. However, the means based on the magnetic sensor is large and expensive. Therefore, it is preferable in view of miniaturization and cost-reduction of the device to use signal output means formed of volume such as an X-Y direction input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-324187.
In the X-Y direction input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 5-324187, contacts are mounted to a pair of moving bodies housed in a case and each the contact comes into sliding contact with a resistor circuit on a surface of a special substrate housed in the case with the moving bodies, thereby forming the volumes in the case. The volumes in the case are connected to an electric circuit on a surface of a mounting substrate to which the case is fixed through a connector or by soldering.
Such a prior-art pointing device is smaller and less expensive than a device for which magnetic signal output means is used because the volumes are used as the signal output means. However, there are problems of increase in the number of parts and increase in a height of the device because the special substrate is provided in the case so as to form the volumes. Moreover, because it is necessary to electrically connect the special substrate in the case to the mounting substrate to which the case is fixed in installation of the device, there are also problems of increase in the number of the parts and increase in the number of man-hours required for the installation operation.
The present invention has been accomplished with the above circumstances in view and it is an object of the present invention to provide a pointing device in which the volumes are used as the signal output means and the number of the parts, the thickness of the device, and the number of man-hours required for the installation operation can be reduced as compared with the prior-art device for which the volumes are used.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a pointing device comprising a case fixed to a substrate, a sliding-type operating body that is mounted to the case for inputting a signal in X-Y directions and is slid in all directions around itself and along a surface of the substrate, a pair of moving bodies for moving linearly in X and Y directions in the case as the operating body is slid, one side portions of the respective moving bodies projecting to an outside of the case to face the surface of the substrate, and contacts in a pair that are respectively mounted to respective projecting portions of the moving bodies in the pair and that form volumes by coming into sliding contact with a resistor circuit formed on the surface of the substrate.
In the pointing device according to the present invention, the respective one side portions of the moving bodies in the pair housed in the case project to the outside of the case and the contacts mounted to the respective projecting portions come into sliding contact with the resistor circuit formed on the surface of the substrate to which the case is fixed, thereby forming the volumes. Therefore, a special substrate in the case is unnecessary. It is unnecessary to connect the device to the substrate by soldering or through the connector.
In the pointing device according to the present invention, it is preferable that springs for resiliently retaining the moving bodies in the pair in an origin position are provided. As a result, the operating body automatically returns to the origin position and operability is improved.
With regard to the springs, it is preferable that two side portions substantially perpendicular to each other of the case overhang sideways over the respective projecting portions of the moving bodies in the pair and the springs are respectively provided between the overhanging portions and the projecting portions. As a result, increase in size of the pointing device due to provision of the springs can be minimized.